Posted in: Hulu, streaming, TV | Tagged: bender, futurama, hulu, john dimaggio, Yvette Nicole Brown

Futurama: Community Star Yvette Nicole Brown Supports John DiMaggio

By now, you pretty much know the deal. Earlier this month, Hulu, David X. Cohen & Matt Groening announced a 20-episode revival of Futurama with Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, and David Herman set to return. Well, it didn't take long for fans to realize that there was one very important name missing from that list: John DiMaggio aka Bender. And since that time, things have gotten pretty icy on the negotiations front, with the streamer and producers apparently willing to recast if an agreement with DiMaggio can't be reached. For his part, the famed voice actor took to social media to explain his position on the matter (more on that below) and while updates have been pretty scarce, famous names like Mark Hamill have come out to offer DiMaggio their public support. We can now add Community star & TWD Genius-Fan Yvette Nicole Brown (Big Shot, Fairfax)  to that list, with Brown tweeting support for DiMaggio today.

"I also stand w/ ⁦[John DiMaggio]," Brown wrote in a statement of support. "On 'PoundPuppies' — my 1st VO gig — I marveled at the way John can become ANY voice described. He's a talented WONDER & DESERVES whatever he's asking for." Brown continued with, "Negotiations are a natural part of this business and every actor should fight for what they know they deserve. It is BEYOND short-sighted for the powers that be not to realize that there is no 'Futurama' w/o [John DiMaggio] as Bender" before ending with hashtag sentiment in support of DiMaggio and voice actors everywhere, "#PayHim #PayThemAll what they're worth!"

Here's a look at Brown's tweet from earlier today (and on a side note, here's hoping we see The Walking Dead superfan on AMC's Talking Dead sooner rather than later):

Last week, DiMaggio took to Twitter to explain why things had gotten to this point and to make it clear that it's not that he thinks that he deserves to be paid more as much as "the entire cast does." He goes on to explain that negotiations are part of the process and a very personal one at that. "Bender is part of my soul & nothing about this is meant to be disrespectful to the fans or my 'Futurama' family," DiMaggio continued, stressing that back-n-forth was about a sense of self-respect and doing his part to make sure that an "artist's time & talent" are fairly compensated. "Still hoping for the best," DiMaggio wrote towards the end of the post as he thanked everyone for their love and support.

Here's a look back at DiMaggio's tweet from earlier this evening explaining his position in the negotiations going on with Hulu (and also dropping us some quick intel on AMC's

"I'm thrilled to have another chance to think about the future… or really anything other than the present," said Cohen. Groening added, "It's a true honor to announce the triumphant return of 'Futurama' one more time before we get canceled abruptly again." Produced by 20th Television Animation with Rough Draft Studios, Inc. providing the animation, the series focuses on the life of Philip Fry (West), a 25-year-old pizza delivery boy who accidentally freezes himself on December 31, 1999, and wakes up 1,000 years later with a fresh start at life and a new group of friends that includes tough but lovely one-eyed alien Leela (Sagal) and walking robotic Id with one-liners, Bender.

Craig Erwich, president of Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment, added, "When presented with the opportunity to bring fans and viewers new episodes of 'Futurama,' we couldn't wait to dive in. This iconic series helped blaze the trail for the success of adult animation since its initial launch and we look forward to Matt & David continuing to pave the way and further establishing Hulu as the premiere destination for fans of the genre." Marci Proietto, head of 20th Television Animation, concluded, "What I love about animation is that it's possible for a successful show to take a pause and then resume years later, even on a different platform, and pick up right where it left off. 'Futurama' is one of those shows. The excitement from Hulu about returning Matt and David's genius creation for all-new episodes has been off the charts. I'm thrilled that this incredible team will get to tell more stories, and that our Planet Express crew will have more adventures together. It's a win for the fans who have loved the show since the beginning, and for the ones who will now discover it for the very first time."

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